New Ulm weekly review., 1887-10-12

by the governess with an earnestness
which compelled credence.
She was elated withal: Vas, sir
rec, dey is dar,en Miss Fanny toll me,
t tell you she skeered e write, fear
somebody mout tex de letter from me
but lax t. see de man could tex aler-
ter from me (rising inAection). I chaw
'em up fus'." Whether the letter or
the intermeddler was to have been
.'chawed up," Mandy did not stop to
explain) En- Miss Fanny, she say,
she lowed ef you knowed how much
trouble de w'ite folks at de big house
was in, mebbe you,d try to nelp EN-
some. En- she say as how was
tell you she heern de gin burners would
be dar dis very night, en- po' Mars
Conel he down. wild tiphone fever, en-
Mars Al-he daid, en- Miss Nellie she
don do nuthin' but cry, en- cry, en-
cry"
Yes, he had known it all. But what
could he do? He had felt several
times since hearing Of AIS death as
if it was sort of pity that 1T hadn't
been himself instead; but somehow or
other things never did work quite
| right in this world. He had been
very fond of AL He was q manly,
straightforward fellow, with no rich
mans nonsense about him. True, he
Cap, remembered smiling trife,
scornfully when he had heard about
| the silver boot-hooks and the darkey
valet AL started out with as part Of
his soldier outfit; but he had died a
hero's death for all that, and he knew
| that the big house that had once been
opened to him to give him a chance
had been the home OF bitter mourning
ever since.
And he knew that, all things being
equal, life could have furnished no
sweeter duty than to have comforted
Miss Nellie, AIS sister, and to have
wiped every tear from her eyes; but
the gulf between him and the people
at the big house had been widening
every year, until now they seemed to
live in another planet, sodistant than
it seemed presumption even for fancy
to penetrate into its rarifieds atmos-
phere. Yes, he knew all the troubles
that had overtaken the colonel in his
old age. But what could he do?
What didsthis wide-awake governess
over at his cousin Rafe' mean by send
ing her ragged ambassadors to notify
him? Mandy stood before him, with
her claw-like hands hanging Imply by
her side and her thick
| lips slightly apart. There was
d mild flavor of the i'm
mortal Cassabianea in her attitude Of
sturdy patience. Her bead black eyes
scanned his face eagerly. She would
not go without some word ofresponse
| for her darling Miss Fanny. The
overseer's son flung it at her presently,
| and she snapped at it as q patient
/. dog snaps at the long waited for NOR
sci mid air.
'Tell her I'll see what I can do"
| Yaas, SIR" 'Mandy's glittering teeth
closed over the words with a snap,
and turning about without even the
ceremony of q courtesy, she clambered
! once more the rail fence, with the
agility OF monkey, and was soon
again plunging her bare heels into the
leathern sides of her mule.
It was scarcely an hour later when
Othello went crashing over the same
ground. Cap had only waited long
enough to see that the beast had con-
sumed his last ear of corn and had
been well watered. If it were q choice
between his going hungry and thirsty
and Othello's suffering, there would
have been no doubt about what the
choice would be. While Othello had
been consuming his rations with un-
feeling deliberation, he had been ex-
amining the condition of the big navy
revolvers that always hung in tine
black holster on the pail behind the
bed 3 head, and putting fresh charge
into the shotgun that stood in the
corner of the room hidden by the
armoire. It was dark when he and
Olhello plunged into the woods, but
they needed no sense OF sight
to guide them over the familiar path.
1t was darker still when they found
themselves in front OF the cleaning
white fence that outlined the colonePs
, handsome yard premise against the
rest OF the plantation. He could see
lights burning dinlly in the different
rooms of the house as he cantered
slowly by. He refined his black horse
into a slower gait when he came in
sight of the big house. He must ride
!. past it. through the old quarter lot,
by the overseer's house, where he had
hrst seen the light, to reach the threat
ened gin house. For once f1eeting ma.
ture asserted her supremacy and he
gave himself up to a passion OF long.
ing for one gil npse of the sweet girl.
s face whose pure patrician outlines
had dwelt with him vividly all through
: the lonely years OF mis- useless man.
hood. 1t was vouchsafed to him. "A
lurid glare! a tongue of upward leap
j ing fame, and the big house stood re
uealed as in the broadcast sunlight
/ He stuck his sharp spurs fercely into
j 0theEo's TANKS. The black no orse leap.
/ ed forward with a snort ofsurprise and
Indignation.
His rider cast one upward look al
the little room with the dormer win
dow where he had gohe to meet his
chance The curt aims were drawn
aside, and framed in the dark wood